Sysma

Sysmä is a small municipality in the Päijät-Häme region of southern Finland, on the shores of Lake Päijänne. Its name likely derives from a word meaning "dark forest" or "wilderness." The area was first settled by people from Sääksmäki, and Sysmä was recorded as a separate parish as early as 1442. Its year-round population has fallen steadily since the mid-20th century, but the municipality is a popular holiday-home destination — the population roughly triples in summer as visitors from larger cities arrive at their lakeside cottages.

By Train

Sysmä has no railway station of its own; the nearest is in Lahti, from where onward travel is by road.

By Car / Road

Sysmä centre lies about 16 km west of Highway 4, roughly 165 km north-north-east of Helsinki.

Sysmän kotieläinpiha ja kahvila (Sysmä Zoo and Café), Ravioskorventie 151 (tel +358 50-536-6116, [email protected]), is a small petting zoo with an attached café.

Camping Sysmä, Huitilantie 3 (tel +358 44-974-9378, [email protected]), is a lakeside campsite renting bicycles, rowing boats (some motorized), kayaks, canoes, and SUP boards.

Hotelli-Ravintola Uoti (Hotel Restaurant Uoti), Keskustie 1 (tel +358 3 876-250).

• Nearby towns in Päijät-Häme — explore the surrounding lakeland region